Wolf Pact
by Lumendea
Summary: Rose Tyler was swept back to her home universe six months ago and reunited with the Doctor via his daughter Jenny. While reunited with him they've taken their time getting to know each other once again after a lifetime apart. But with danger in the future and an old enemy returning it may be too late for the Doctor and Rose despite their second chance.
1. Life in the TARDIS

Wolf Pact

Chapter One: Life in the TARDIS

by Lumendea

Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who.

AN: By popular demand, the sequel of Wolf Signal. This story is in addition to what I've already got on my plate so updates won't be as regular as The Guardians of the Universe series. If you like my work please check on my first book The Iron Realm available on amazon kindle and Barnes and Noble nook.

The soft hum of the TARDIS and the low lights against the coral were both mysterious and familiar to Rose as she walked down the corridor. She wasn't sure what had woken her up, but the thought of a cuppa had spurred her out of her very comfortable bed. Stepping into the kitchen Rose shook her head at the dirty dishes piled in the sink from Jenny's first attempt to cook pasta last night and chuckled at the banana peels left on the island from when the Doctor had introduced his daughter to the concept of a banana split.

Chuckling, Rose quickly put a kettle on and pulled out her favourite mug. It was the same one she'd used all those years ago when she'd first been travelling with the Doctor. Large and a pale rose colour it had thin lines of shimmering colour running across the surface, a popular pottery trick on the planet they'd picked it up. She'd missed it from time to time when she'd been living in the other universe though it had never been what she missed most. Rose had been quite surprised to discover the mug safely tucked back in the corner of the cupboard.

Rose made herself busy scrubbing some of the dishes to get the burned on tomato sauce to loosen a bit before she put them into the dishwasher. It wasn't a normal dishwasher, of course not, it was from the 42nd century and the sort which would apparently become a sought out model for at least three hundred years due to its fast and good system. Rose remembered when she'd first looked at the thing and hadn't quite believed the Doctor since it looked like any dishwasher that she'd grown up seeing. Apparently retro would be big for a few years in a couple of centuries. The kettle began to whistle and Rose made herself a steaming cup of tea just how she liked it.

With her tea in hand, Rose walked towards the console room, pausing to glance into Jenny's room. The large domed room was a disaster that reminded Rose a bit of how her old room in the TARDIS looked. For a girl that had never had clothing variety before Jenny had embraced the concept of dressing up quickly much to her father's surprise. A long blue formal dress was hanging over the back of Jenny's desk chair with a pair of pumps peeking out from under the bed. There was a pile of jeans and shirts in one corner by her tall white wardrobe and a trainer collection on a set of shelves. Knick-knacks from different planets were scattered about a pile of well-worn and old looking book were stacked up on Jenny's desk. Even from the hallway, Rose could make out the Gallifreyan symbols in one of the open books and in the open notebook where Jenny was taking notes and practising the script.

Smiling fondly, Rose turned and kept walking to the console room. The Doctor's door was closed, but she could now hear his voice echoing up from the control room. It was answered by a soft feminine laugh that assured Rose they were both awake. She wasn't surprised by that, neither of them needed as much sleep as her. Thankfully they both always gave her the time she needed and having Jenny's company seemed to be keeping the Doctor from doing his old trick of waking her up for adventures. Rose reached the console room, but lingered by the doorway and sipped her tea with a fond smile.

The Doctor and Jenny were moving around the console with Jenny pointing to each of the controls and explaining what it was. Her voice was excited and cheerful with a confidence that she rarely exhibited around her father. The technobabble was lost even on Rose, but she could tell from the glowing look of pride on the Doctor's face that Jenny was doing very well. Every so often he'd stop her and explain something in a little more detail or tell her a story about something going wrong once or twice. Jenny was completely relaxed and the tension that the pair had started with was long gone.

The scene was familiar to Rose. She'd found them like this time and time again in the TARDIS. Sometimes they were in the library with the Doctor telling her about certain works of literature or points of history. He'd all but shoved the complete works of Charles Dickens, Agatha Christie and Harry Potter at her along with a few others from other planets that Rose had never heard of. She'd found them beneath the console with the Doctor teaching Jenny about the systems of the TARDIS. The Doctor hadn't even been angry when Jenny accidentally cracked on the stabilisers and had instead used it was an opportunity to show her how to jury-rig replacements before showing her the fine art of haggling on Fertig IV. One time she'd even come across them in the butterfly room with the Doctor describing Gallifrey in a low pained tone while Jenny held his hand. It was familiar and reassuring and no longer just because it reminded Rose of John and their children. Now it was just Jenny and the Doctor.

She stepped away from the console room and took another sip of her tea. It felt early and maybe she could get a bit more sleep or at least relax a bit more. Rose couldn't quite stop herself from wondering how her family was going in the other world. Tony had still been healthy when she'd died and woke up young and back in her own universe. His son was a good sort and had long since taken over the family's public business while her niece had been more inclined towards Torchwood. Her own children had been settled into happy and fulfilling lives that allowed them to use their great intelligences. She didn't have any reason to worry, but sometimes…. Rose shook her head as she entered the room and took another sip of her tea. Picking up her mobile, Rose quickly typed in a number and raised the phone to her ear and waited.

"Hello?"

"Hi Martha," Rose greeted in a soft voice. "Is this a good time?"

"Yeah it's fine," Martha assured her warmly on the other end. "I'm just making up some spaghetti for us."

Rose couldn't help but laugh though she rushed to explain herself to Martha, "Sorry it's just that Jenny tried to destroy the TARDIS kitchen last night making pasta. The TARDIS actually cut power to keep her at bay."

"Wait so little Miss Time Lady is a klutz in the kitchen?" Martha asked sounding far too amused. "Well so much for all that talk about being superior."

"Reassuring to know they don't know everything isn't it."

"Sometimes," Martha agreed with chuckle before she was drowned out by a loud cheer through the phone. Rose laughed, recognising the source of the cheer.

"Is there a match on?" she asked and Martha laughed.

"Yeah, there's a match on," Martha agreed before sighing. "Was he this bad with you?"

"Let me put it this way: the day I met the Doctor the day he blew up my job with me barely out of the building Mickey came to see me and wanted to take me to the pub for a comfort drink."

"Oh my god he didn't!"

"He did, which I called him on of course," Rose promised Martha with a laugh. "Course he's grown up a lot since then."

"Grown up nicely," Martha said happily making Rose's smile widen.

"I'm so happy you two are together," Rose sighed into the phone as she sat back down on her bed and placed the cuppa on the side table. "It's just so sweet."

"Surprised me a bit at first, I've told you about Tom, but in the end… well, the secrets… it was just too much. My mum might have liked the idea of me and Tom, but I'll never forget the first time she realised that there were no secrets between Mickey and I and that she could talk about that year with him."

"I understand," Rose assured Martha sympathetically. "It was one reason I had such hard time adjusting to the other universe at first, I had Mickey and my mum, but everything else was a lie. We had to create this whole history for me and I had to constantly worry about saying the wrong thing."

"Sounds difficult," Martha observed. "And now?"

"Now… things are still a bit weird at times, but almost each day is better than the last. He's doing a lot better about listening to my suggestions and remembering that I've got experience of my own."

"Thank god, I don't think we would have survived another fight like the last one."

"Yeah… I'm still sorry about you getting sucked into that."

"We're friends and he was being childish," Martha replied nonchalantly. "I don't mind being someone you call on from time to time. Oh, by the way, Sarah Jane made me promise to give you her love next time you called. She still wants to meet Jenny, in fact, she's all but demanding it."

"I'll bring it up with the Doctor, but I think he's a little afraid of what that meeting will look like."

"Sarah Jane is lovely," Martha protested.

"Yes she is and I think she'd be a wonderful role model for Jenny, but she has a lot of blackmail stories on the Doctor. He's probably concerned about being undermined."

Martha laughed in agreement. "Fair point, that's probably exactly what he's worried about. Still, she wants to see you again and wasn't happy to find out from me that you're back in this universe. Plus you really should meet her son. Luke's a good kid and so sweet."

"Who is my best girl talking to?" Mickey asked loud enough for Rose to hear him.

"Your second best girl," Martha answered him loudly with a laugh. "I've got to drain the noodles, say hi Mickey."

Rose waited while the phone was passed between the two and smiled when Mickey's voice came over the line, "Hey Rose, how is life in the blue box?"

"It's fine, we stopped a plot to destroy this little planet by a trade company and Jenny massively failed at cooking pasta."

"Cooking pasta?" Mickey repeated in shock. "How can someone fail at pasta?"

"I'm not sure, but it was funny. I promised her that next time I cook she can watch me and I'll walk her through the steps."

"Jenny did take care of herself for months, right? I'm not misremembering that," Mickey said with obvious confusion. "Pretty sure I remember her recounting her own various adventures over a least a few months."

"You're not, but her old ship had those weird nutrition bar things. You know the ones that you just program in and you get something like a cereal bar. Supposed to have all the nutrition you need."

"The ones that Big Ears used to eat?" Mickey teased causing Rose to roll her eyes.

"Yeah those, he stopped mostly when I came aboard."

They settled into a moment of comfortable silence and Rose listened to the sounds of Martha setting the table. Then Mickey started to talk a bit about the latest alien thing they'd investigated together in Bristol. Rose listened with a small smile to the sound of her friend's voice, feeling her body relax until Mickey changed the subject.

"So how are you and the Doctor?" Mickey asked gently. "Last time we saw you three things were a little tense still."

"It's only been six months to us Mickey and this… this is going to take some time. It's getting easier not to see John or expect the Doctor to act like he did so I consider that a victory. I feel like I've gotten through my mourning period now, it's easier to just be happy with the adventures again. Jenny is a darling and she's being really good about letting us have our space to work through things."

"That's good to hear. Martha and I both worry you know," Mickey replied. "Look, Rose, I'm sorry, but I've got to go-"

"Dinner's ready, no problem Mickey," Rose said quickly. "Talk to you soon, take care. Love you both. Say hi to Jack for me."

"Take care!" Martha called from the other line before the phone call ended.

Sighing, Rose climbed back under the duvet and took one more sip of her tea before she pushed the mug away from the bed. Rose turned out the light and stretched out on the bed again. There was a lingering exhaustion in her body from their last adventure that had yet to go away and Rose couldn't help but feel on edge. Over her years as a Torchwood agent, she'd grown used to trusting her gut and tonight something didn't feel right.

She opened her eyes and rolled over, away from the door. Across the room was the set of shelves that she kept mementoes on, much like the one she'd had in her first room. One shelf had a series of photos of her family, both of her mum and her when shew as younger in this universe compliments of the Doctor and Mickey. But the most precious ones were the small paintings of her late husband and children created using visual memory technology and a skilled artist.

Staring at the picture of John and her three children, Rose felt a few tears prickling at her eyes. Grief swelled in her chest for a moment but passed quickly as she breathed out slowly. Rose sighed softly and laid her head back down. Staring at the pictures, Rose let herself think back to many of the special moments that had defined her life in the other universe while listening to the distance sounds of Jenny and the Doctors.

Sometimes it still hurt a little, but the pain was bittersweet. Over the last few months, the shock of finding herself back in her home universe had gradually worn off. What frightened her most was how easier it was to forget sometimes that she'd had a whole other life. Sometimes it was too easy to slip back into the skin of twenty-year-old Rose Tyler who loved the Doctor completely and raced around the universe with him. Rose chuckled to herself, no it wasn't exactly the same now. She knew the Doctor loved her, he knew that she loved him which had always been unspoken before. And she couldn't quite imagine her younger self-being fully comfortable with Jenny's presence on board. Jenny wanted a mother and back then she wouldn't have been able to give that to her. Strange as it was, things had worked out. Rose closed her eyes and breathed out slowly, wondering if maybe it was time to let things move forward with the Doctor again.


	2. Beginning of the End

Wolf Pact

Chapter Two: Beginning of the End

by Lumendea

Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who.

…

Rose gripped the railing around the TARDIS console as the Doctor and Jenny jumped around the controls. The ride was getting smoother and smoother as Jenny became more accustomed to helping her father pilot. They still bumped into each other sometimes, but gradually they were beginning to find their balance when it came to driving. Thankfully Jenny had a little bit more sense than her father when it came to driving. She liked to double check everything and less inclined to follow his 'wherever the wind may take us' attitude. As much as the girl loved to explore new places she liked to have some idea of what to expect.

"Where are we going?" Jenny asked as she followed one of the Doctor's instructions and adjusted one of the many small knobs on the console.

"The Ood Sphere," the Doctor informed her with a blooming smile. "They want to see me, summoned me even. I'm not usually one for summoning, but it's the Ood." He paused and frowned before he added, "Summoned me awhile ago actually, but then you and Rose came back and that was more important."

Rose straightened up at the mention of the telepathic creatures and thought back to John's story about he and Donna on the Ood Sphere. She frowned slightly, remembering the warning that the Ood had supposedly given him. Maybe it referred to the fact that he and Donna's time was limited, but John had always had a different suspicion. She hadn't thought about it at all since she returned and Rose's eyes quickly swung to the Doctor.

Her stomach churned uncomfortably at the idea of him regenerating. The idea of him becoming someone else just as she was beginning to believe that maybe they could manage to move forward. Nibbling at her bottom lip, Rose watched the Doctor as he moved around the console. He was smiling, but there was a tightness to it that she knew all too well. He was worried about something and there was a hint of resignation in his eyes that she didn't like. The Doctor was bracing himself for something but wasn't inclined to share his worries, at least not yet with her and Jenny.

The TARDIS landed with a soft thump rather than the usual shake that Rose had gotten used to over the years. It made for a nice change. Swinging away from the controls the Doctor beamed at her and Jenny. His eyes moved over to Rose, inspecting her boots and the coat that she was wearing. He nodded at her attire then sauntered towards the door. For a moment he paused at the door and Rose saw him take a deep breath, then he opened the doors with a flourish. He stepped outside leaving Jenny and Rose to rush after him.

The planet was a winter wonderland with thick mounds of perfectly white snow. Over their heads, the sky was a stunning blue with only a few wisps of clouds here and there. But what really got Rose's attention was the group of Oods standing in front of them. They were dressed much like the servant Oods back on Sanctuary Base 6 and carried the same small orb in their hands.

"Ah! Now, sorry. There you are. So, where were we? I was summoned, wasn't I?" the Doctor announced in far too cheerful a voice even as he moved towards the Ood as if he was completely unconcerned. "An Ood in the snow, calling to me. Well, I didn't exactly come straight here," the Doctor admitted before gesturing back at Jenny and Rose. "Found my daughter if you believe it, funny story. Not interesting then, alright what do you want?"

"You should not have delayed," the Ood informed him solemnly and the forced relaxed stance of the Doctor's fell away as his body tightened up.

"The last time I was here you said my song would be ending soon, and I'm in no hurry for that," the Doctor informed the Ood in a tight voice.

"You will come with me," the Ood told the Doctor who glanced back at them.

Rose noticed he looked worried, but he nodded for them to follow. Rose and Jenny stepped out onto the snow and she was pleased to discover that they didn't sink down too deep. They walked up the hill and Rose gasped as a beautiful city came into view.

"Magnificent," the Doctor cheered before turning to the Odd who seemed unaffected by the sight. "Oh, come on Odd Sigma that is splendid. You've achieved all this in how long?"

"One hundred years," Sigma informed the Doctor calmly.

"Then we've got a problem. Because all of this is way too fast. Not just the city, I mean your ability to call me. Reaching all the way back to the twenty-first century. Something's accelerating your species way beyond normal," the Doctor said quickly, looking less and less pleased with the situation.

"And the Mind of the Ood is troubled," Sigma told the Doctor seriously.

"Why, what's happened?" the Doctor asked cautiously.

"Every night, Doctor, every night we have bad dreams," Sigma informed him sadly.

Without another word to any of them the Ood Sigma turned and led them into the city. Jenny slipped her hand into Rose's as the Doctor walked stubbornly ahead of them without a word. Rose's mind of was racing, the Doctor's words about his death being prophesized put a cold weight in her gut and she could see that Jenny was distressed as well. Rose squeezed the girl's hand but kept silent as they walked through the earth and ice city. She wanted to be impressed by the spires, but she couldn't but think of the Doctor's words about it being too advanced. Thankfully the long walk ended they were taken into a large building. It was cooler than Rose was used to but warmer than the outside. Inside one small circular room waited for a group of Oods who all focused on the Doctor as soon as he stepped into the room. They were clothed in robes and seated around a round metal device that hovered in the air between them.

"Returning, returning, returning, it is slowly returning through the dark and the fire and the blood," one of the Ood Elders breathed oddly. "Always returning, returning to this world. It is returning, and he is returning, and they are returning, but too late. Too late. Far too late. He has come."

"Sit with the Elder of the Ood and share the dreaming," Ood Sigma told the Doctor, gesturing towards the Council.

The Doctor sat down with the Ood council as Rose and Jenny lingered in the doorway. Ood Sigma nodded to Rose deeply and moved further into the room after the door.

"So. Right. Hallo," the Doctor greeted with false cheerfulness.

"You will join. You will join. You will join. You will join. You will join. You will join. You will join," the Ood chanted.

After a moment of hesitation, the Doctor linked hands with the Ood and Rose saw him jolt slightly. She took a step forward with Jenny, but Sigma gestured for them to stay back.

"He comes to us every night. I think all the peoples of the universe dream of him now," the Elder informed them all, his voice echoing softly in the cavern.

"That man is dead," the Doctor insisted darkly in a tone that Rose had only ever heard her husband use when talking about one man.

"There is yet more. Join us. Events are taking shape. So many years ago, and yet changing the now. There is a man."

The Doctor tensed and stiffened as he was overtaken by a vision of something. Jenny had a small sound of distress and jumped forward before Sigma could stop her. She gripped her father's shoulder and Rose reached out to pull Jenny's back. The girl gasped and Rose felt ill as a strong sense of wrongness hit her squarely in the chest. In her mind, there was a flash of a strange face and the echo of laughter along with the soft low strains of an achingly familiar song.

"What about Donna, is she safe?" the Doctor demanded sharply.

"You should not have delayed, for the lines of convergence are being drawn across the Earth. Even now, the king is in his Counting house," the Elder informed him.

Jenny collapsed back against Rose, releasing her father's shoulder and breathing deeply. Sigma motioned her to stay back. The Doctor hissed slightly as he was shown something else and shook his head in frustration.

"I don't know who they are."

"And there is another. The most lonely of all lost and forgotten.

"The Master's wife," the Doctor told them.

"We see so much, but understand little. The woman in the cage, who is she?"

"She was. It wasn't her fault, she was. The Master, he's a Time Lord, like me. I can show you."

The Doctor seemed to be showing them something and Rose felt an odd longing to lean forward and touch him so she could see as well.

"The Master took the name of Saxon. He married a human, a woman called Lucy. And he corrupted her. She stood at his side while he conquered the Earth. I reversed everything he'd done so it never even happened, but Lucy Saxon remembered," the Doctor explained in a tightly controlled voice. "I held him in my arms. I burnt his body. The Master is dead."

"And yet, you did not see," the Elder said sadly.

"What's that?" The Doctor shuddered and breathed sharply. "Part of him survived. I have to go!"

"But something more is happening, Doctor. The Master is part of a greater design because a shadow is falling over creation. Something vast is stirring in the dark. The Ood have gained this power to see through time because time is bleeding. Shapes of things once lost are moving through the veil, and these events from years ago threaten to destroy this future, and the present, and the past."

Rose felt a chill down her spine as something poked at her memory. Something that John had only ever talked about three times in the whole of their marriage, in a low voice in the safety of their room.

"What do you mean?" the Doctor demanded though Rose was certain he was thinking the same thing she was.

"This is what we have seen, Doctor. The darkness heralds only one thing."

"The end of time itself." The Odd Elder informed him. "Events that have happened are happening now."

"We're going!" the Doctor shouted as he leapt to his feet and rushed out of the cavern-like room. "Now!"

Jenny rushed after her father with Rose just on her heels. Behind them, Rose heard the Ood say one last thing, but it was lost to the icy wind as she ran after the others. She barely caught up with them as they reached the TARDIS. The Doctor struggled with the door for a moment. They tumbled inside and the Doctor began setting the controls with shaking hands and a thunderous look.

"Jenny, pilot us to Earth," Rose ordered as she gripped the Doctor's arm and pulled him away from the controls. "Doctor, let Jenny handle it!" Rose ordered as the young Time Lady rushed about setting the controls.

"It's the Master," the Doctor snapped, running a hand through his arm as he looked at Jenny and Rose. "And with the two of you…. No no no," he groaned as he stumbled towards the controls.

"Dad, she's already in flight," Jenny told him firmly, gesturing towards the controls. "We'll be to Earth soon, the TARDIS has locked onto something."

"See we're in flight," Rose whispered as she pulled on his arm. "You can't speed that up, now come on."

She half dragged the Doctor into the library and watched in worry as he slumped into one of the armchairs. His whole body was tense and she could tell that he was worried. Ever since she had come back he hadn't been like this. Their adventures had been fairly mild for the most part with him focusing much more just spending time with her and Jenny. It had been nice, but now she wondered if there was another part to it.

"What is going on?" Rose asked as she sat down across from him in another plush chair. Their knees were barely touching and she reached over to rest her hands over his. "Doctor? Please talk to me."

"My death," the Doctor breathed sadly. "It's been… well prophesied for a while now. Even before you and Jenny found me I'd started to get warnings about it." The Doctor shook his head, "I thought… well, to be honest, I had thought that it was about Donna or even you. I did regenerate the last time you were here…"

"But you don't think so anymore," Rose observed in a soft voice. "What changed?"

"Dreams," the Doctor breathed. "It hasn't just been the Ood dreaming when I've been sleeping lately there are flashes of things I'd rather not… remember."

"Maybe it's just nightmares," Rose offered gently, squeezing his hand in an attempt to comfort him. "A lot has changed lately, you've got a full TARDIS again."

"I didn't want to travel with Natalie," the Doctor told her suddenly. "I'd actually made the decision not to travel with anyone again, but something… something happened on Mars and I thought maybe I do need somebody like Donna said. And there was River…," he swallowed and gave Rose a guilty look. He shook his head sadly and looked over at Rose with a strange look in his eyes. "Then you came back and even though," he licked his lips and looked like he was struggling with words. "I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop to use a human phrase."

"Doctor," Rose whispered as she raised one of her hands to cup his cheek. Her heart stuttered when he leaned into the touch. "It's going to be okay," she whispered to him. "Even… even if you are heading for regeneration it won't change everything. I'll still be here and Jenny will be here, we won't leave over that."

"I thought you would once," the Doctor reminded her with an almost pitiful look.

"I was very young and scared about what had happened to you, plus I didn't remember what had happened," Rose told him with a stern look. "And I loved you, but you'd never told me about regeneration. I felt a little betrayed by that."

"I'm sorry," the Doctor sighed, turning his head and kissing her palm. "It's not something pleasant for a Time Lord to talk about. We live, but who we are now… it gets buried under the next. It's a change in identity, that's difficult to deal with."

"I understand that a bit more than you might think," Rose offered, brushing her thumb over his cheek. "I've started over a few times myself."

"I'm sorry I haven't found an answer yet," the Doctor told her and Rose chuckled.

"You haven't been looking all that hard," she teased him with a little smile. "Afraid of what you'll find?"

"More than a little," the Doctor answered honestly causing Rose to gape at him for a moment. "Does that surprise you?"

"Only to hear you admit it," Rose replied as she relaxed.

"Didn't he do that?" the Doctor asked, once again surprising Rose by bringing up her late husband.

"He did," Rose agreed with a small nod. "But he was… well a bit different from you in that regard. He wasn't afraid to admit things to me." It came off as more judgmental than Rose meant it to be and she flinched. "I'm sorry that came out wrong."

The Doctor chuckled and shook his head. "No, it didn't, not really." The Doctor breathed out and ran a hand through his hair. "I do love you, Rose, I did the first time you told me and I did when I dropped you off with him."

"I know," Rose assured him as she leaned closer to him. "I knew then even though you never said it, I did know."

"I wanted you safe and happy," the Doctor whispered as he looked at her. "And now you're back and we're heading towards the Master. I- I assume that he told you about him."

"He did," Rose replied gently. "And we'll deal with this."

"End of time," the Doctor muttered with another shake of his head. "Rose it's-"

"Maybe it's why I'm here," Rose offered carefully. "Bad Wolf was connected to time. Maybe it was this convergence that pulled me back here. After all, Bad Wolf gave you a warning last time someone tried to break the universe and I came back for that yeah?"

The Doctor looked terrified by the idea and swallowed thickly, but nodded. His hands suddenly moved and he cupped her cheeks. Their brown eyes were locked onto each other and Rose suddenly couldn't breathe despite the rapid pounding of her heart.

"Rose… may I?"

"Yeah," Rose breathed as she swayed forward.

Their lips met in a soft tentative kiss that was both familiar and so achingly different. Neither of them moved, just staying in the soft perfect moment. Then the Doctor's hand slid up into Rose's hair and she parted her lips. Years of longing, regret and sadness were poured together and spilled out to make room for the elevation of this finally happening. Rose groaned softly and slipped her fingers into the Doctor's hair as he tugged her forward onto his lap. They parted only for quick breaths of air before crashing their mouths back together. Time stretched and twisted around them, lengthening the time they had together, but then the TARDIS came to a sudden and abrupt stop as they arrived on Earth.


	3. Broadfell Prison

Wolf Pact

Chapter Three: Broadfell Prison

by Lumendea

Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who.

…

The whole thing was burned out, it was a ruin of stone, wood and ash with a strange smell lingering in the air. As they stepped out of the TARDIS Rose's nose wrinkled against her own will. She'd seen worse, but something here made her stomach try to turn. Something was off in the air as she followed the Doctor out of the TARDIS and into the burned out ruin. He paused for the moment and looked around the ruin with a frown before moving forward as if drawn to something.

"What happened here?" Jenny asked in a soft worried. "Something…. Feels wrong."

"Yeah," Rose agreed softly with a nod. "I can feel it too."

Jenny stepped forward and part of the wall beside her began to crumble. Reaching out Rose tugged her back and wrapped an arm around her.

"Careful," Rose cautioned in a low voice. "This place is probably blocked off from the damage."

Ahead of them the Doctor was ducking down and looking at something further below.

"What's he doing?" Jenny asked even as she sniffed the air with a distasteful look. "And what is that smell."

"He's looking for something," Rose observed before she stepped forward to follow. "Mind your step."

Some of the stone was intact and Rose was fearful that they had landed on an upper floor. Usually, the TARDIS avoided anywhere that wasn't safe, but sometimes in an emergency, she took whatever she could get. Glancing out through the burned out remains Rose could see a chain link fence blocking off the site. Light from some old standing street lamps and what looked like security posts was still shining into the area giving them enough light to navigate by, but also casting strange shadows all around them.

Rose had enough experience to tell that this hadn't just been a simple fire. Sure it might have ended as a fire and been put out as such, but bits of stone and some of the walls had clearly been affected by a shockwave first. There had been some kind of explosion and whatever the cause it had left that odd smell lingering in the stone and debris.

The Doctor suddenly shifted and moved forward with both Rose and Jenny following him. He headed down a flight of stone steps into a half collapsed lower cavern. Rose looked at the walls and frowned, this section looked more dug and carved out then it did build from stone. She wondered just where they were, but didn't want to ask.

There were strange burn marks on the walls in a strange circular pattern. In her time as a Torchwood agent in the other universe, Rose had seen plenty of burned out buildings and learned to recognise some blast patterns of common energy weapons. It wasn't the sort of thing that a fireman would know, but she frowned at the small burns in the wall. Not just an explosion then, something a bit more complex.

"Something exploded here," Jenny observed next to her as the Doctor moved to the furthest point in the room they could access. There was a pile of crumbled stone that was out of place with the rest of the debris from the collapsing floors above and Rose looked up towards what was left of the ceiling nervously. "And that smell is stronger down here."

"He always was clever," the Doctor muttered as he picked up one of the off coloured rocks and sniffed it. "And with his hypnotic effect, he kept hold of some of them even after death. Only he would build a cult in the event of his own death, why didn't I check?" The Doctor stood up and ran a hand through his hair in agitation. "He's back, we're too late. TARDIS couldn't get through into the energy distortion. He's caused major ripples with this stunt, but he never did care about any of that."

"Who Dad?" Jenny asked as she stepped forward with a stubborn look. "What is going on?"

"The Master is back," the Doctor explained as he tossed the rock against the wall and watched it bounce with a tight frown. "He's been resurrected somehow," he sniffed at the air again. "But something's gone wrong. You can smell it in the air can't you Jenny, that odd touch of ozone and something else, something rotten."

"Yeah, Mum can too," Jenny informed him and the Doctor glanced at Rose with surprise on his face, but it vanished quickly. "What is that?"

"They pulled energy from the air and themselves, probably destroying their own molecular structure in order to rebuild his, but if it had been completed probably there shouldn't be that rotten smell." The Doctor nodded to himself, "But we can use that, we can track him with that." The Doctor swallowed and nodded to himself as he became to cross the room back to the stairs. "Come on."

"Dad?" Jenny called as she turned, but stayed in place. "What is going on?"

"Jenny we haven't got time-"

"I know only a little bit about the Master," Jenny reminded him as she crossed her arms over her chest. "And I'm a baby Time Lady, something that didn't exist last time you met him. Don't you think it's possible that I need to know a bit more about him."

"She has a point," Rose offered nervously with an uncomfortable glance between the equally stubborn father and daughter. "Doctor I don't know enough about the Master to guess how he might react to a female."

An odd almost panicked expression crossed the Doctor's face, but he calmed quickly and shook his head. Jenny looked more than a little worried about Rose's remark, but both could see the focus of her concerns.

"He's insane," the Doctor offered weakly. "I don't know how to explain him beyond that Jenny. He's brilliant, but looking into the Time Vortex as a child… well, it broke something inside of him. While I've lived my life trying to help others, trying to solve problems and leave things a little better he's always sought power. He's even threatened the safety of the universe on several occasions." The Doctor shook his head and sighed, "And he was the only other survivor."

"Dad," Jenny called to drag him out of his thoughts. "You- you don't talk much about the end of the Time War, is there anything I should know before I'm up against him. Just in case."

"Gallifrey…" the Doctor stopped again and took a deep breath, shoving his hands into his pockets. "It's gone from this universe, but it wasn't destroyed."

"What?" Jenny questioned. "But I thought."

"Gallifrey and the Dalek fleet are locked away," Rose said gently, coming up beside Jenny and putting an arm around her. "Your father used a powerful device to trap them in a… bubble to keep the war from continuing to affect the rest of the universe."

The Doctor looked at her with a strange heartbroken expression. Maybe it was too much for him to hear someone else explain, maybe it was the sudden reminder that his human self had told her everything or maybe it was hearing what he'd done from her lips. Rose gave Jenny a quick one armed hug before she carefully crossed the burned out building, stopping in front of the Doctor.

"Rose," he whispered as she brought her hand over to his and twined their fingers together. "I-"

"It's okay," Rose whispered as she leaned up on her tiptoes. "I know Doctor, you had to. For the sake of everything else you had to."

The Doctor pulled her against him and wrapped his free arms around her, tightening his grip on her hand. Rose brought her free hand up to his neck and brushed gently at the hairs at the back of his neck. They stood there for some time with Jenny remaining silent behind them. Then the Doctor turned his head and caught her lips. It began as a simple brush of mouths, but he released her hand, cupped her chin and deepened the kiss. Rose groaned as the Doctor attacked her mouth and shifted her hand into his hair. There was a small squeak behind them that some part of Rose's brain remembered was Jenny.

Then it was over and the Doctor pulled his lips away from her. He was staring at her face with a soft, but unreadable look. Rose began to say something, but the Doctor leaned forward and kissed her forehead in an achingly gentle kiss. He took her hand again and squeezed it tightly for a moment before releasing it. Then he stepped away from Rose and turned his attention back to Jenny who moved towards them, stopping just in front of her father.

"There's a prophecy that I'm going to die," the Doctor informed Jenny calmly in an almost cold voice that made his daughter flinch.

Jenny looked at him in a painful blend of confusion, disbelief and anger. Before he could say anything else, Rose stepped over next to the girl and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. It seemed to do the trick as Jenny swallowed and took a deep breath.

"Do you think it's true?" she questioned in a soft voice that reminded them both of just how young she really was.

"I normally don't put much faith in prophecies," the Doctor admitted before his eyes travelled to Rose. "But I've come across far too many that proved to be real to dismiss it." He kicked at the ground but didn't drop his eyes away from Jenny's wide blue ones. "And I've received the prophecy from a few places. This is… whatever is happening on Earth with the Master is the trigger."

"And you don't think you're going to make it," Jenny whispered with wide eyes. Then she leapt away from Rose and threw her arms around her Dad. "I don't want you to go," she whispered. "I don't want it to be true."

Swallowing thickly, the Doctor looked over at Rose who was watching them with a sad and tender look. He thought back to their earlier kiss in the TARDIS, his lips had still been carrying a hint of her warmth even as he'd explored the ruins. And now he could still taste her, feel the ghost of the feel of her against him and he was quite certain that the memory of it was part of why he was staying so calm. He didn't want to go either, not now, not that he and Rose finally had found some peace with each other. He didn't want this to be the end of his story of his song. He didn't want to write yet another tragic story with her even if it gave him hope that whatever he began next would at least have Rose Tyler.

"I don't want to go either," the Doctor admitted as he brought his arms up around Jenny, grasping his daughter's shoulders. "I don't want to lose this life and body."

Then he hugged Jenny, pulling the girl tight against him. She hesitated, but then brought her arms up, grasping at the back of his coat tightly. He looked back at Rose and allowed himself to get lost in her eyes. She was waiting for something he realised; waiting to see what he would do here. Suddenly he felt so very young and small compared to her. She'd lived out a whole life and been facing her death, her only human death with calm clarity with her family around her. Rose might have been younger than him, but he suddenly felt that she was so so much wiser in the ways of the world. It was frightening and humbling, especially teamed with the aching certainty that his time was coming to an end.

"It will be okay Jenny," he whispered to his daughter. He took his eyes off of Rose and pulled back so he could look down into his daughter's face. "Even if this is the end of this life I want to you to remember what I told you about regeneration."

"But you'll be different," Jenny whined in a pained voice as a few tears escaped her eyes. She sniffed loudly as she struggled to control herself and added, "We're happy now, even you and Mum are happy. I don't want it to change."

"Change is natural," the Doctor forced out even if part of him just wanted to whine and pout along with his little girl, but he had to be her father right now. "It's scary for me too," he admitted to her with one of the most honest expressions Jenny had even seen on his face. "But you are a part of me Jenny, you carry a part of so many different lives of mine," he whispered as he toyed with a strand of her blonde hair and looked into her blue eyes. "I won't abandon you, I promise you that. If I do regenerate then please be patient with whoever I become next. It's always an adjustment, always a process of discovering how all the pieces fit together."

"I'll do my best," Jenny promised softly.

The Doctor nodded and leaned forward to kiss her forehead gently. "I love you, Jenny," he told her softly only to get a surprised look from her. "I'm rubbish at saying it, just ask your Mum," the Doctor said with a sad chuckle. "But I do and I'm proud of you. You're so clever and determined and you're a better person than I am."

"No, I'm not," Jenny argued, shaking her head. "You're amazing, Dad."

"It's a struggle for me," the Doctor replied with a huff. "I'm not half as good as I wish I was, not half as good as my girls deserve," the Doctor added with a glance towards Rose.

"Is it better to be naturally good without struggle?" Rose asked from behind Jenny as she moved through the wreckage with a soft expression. "Or better to struggle against the darkness to be a better person?"

"We've all got both light and dark inside us. What matters is the part we choose to act on. That's who we really are," Jenny added with a watery smile. "I'm proud of you too Dad."

"Finally finished Harry Potter then," the Doctor observed with a small smile.

"Yeah, figured I could put aside the history books for a bit," Jenny replied with a shrug.

"So," Rose said as she walked over to join them, leaning up to kiss the Doctor's cheek in a soft lingering kiss. "Any idea how to track the Master."

"He's burning up, whatever Lucy did to him while he was being recreated it caused things to go horribly wrong," The Doctor explained with a shudder. "Ugly and twisted, but I can track it."

"Right then," Jenny muttered as she reached up and brushed away some tears. "Let's go, Dad."


	4. The Smiths

Wolf Pact

Chapter Four: The Smiths

by Lumendea

Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who.

…..

They tracked the Master. He moved quickly, leaving charred bodies in his wake and the smell of something rotten mixed with ozone in the air. The Doctor was aware of Jenny's hesitance in the face of the carnage, but she said nothing. For a moment he was reminded of her back when she'd first been created, so desperate for his approval. He hoped they were past that stage, but part of him grimaced in guilt at the idea that she was facing this to support him.

His daughter who was trying to be brave, trying to understand what he'd told her about regeneration. Taking a deep breath, the Doctor checked the sonic screwdriver again for direction. The Master was burning huge amounts of energy and his gut twisted at the knowledge of how he was probably getting it. And he was taking his girls straight into this. The thought made him pause for a terrible moment, but he forced himself to keep moving. They had to find the Master and stop whatever plans he might already have for Earth. He'd come too far last time, done too much damage and he couldn't let that happen again. Especially not with Rose and Jenny on the same planet.

Following the energy trace was easy, almost too easy for the Doctor's taste. They walked out into a deserted lot with piles of trash scattered around. The sonic screwdriver beeped again and the Doctor carefully slipped it back into his pocket.

"He's here," he cautioned Rose and Jenny as they moved further into the lot.

"Hello, Doctor!" An almost giddy voice greeted to their right making all three turn sharply. "Did you miss me?"

His skeleton flashed making Jenny gasp softly and the Doctor swallowed thickly but stepped forward with a calm expression.

"Hello Master," he greeted calmly. "You aren't looking very good. Please, let me help. You're burning up your own life force."

"Who do you have with you this time?" the Master questioned with a tilt of his head. "Oh oh wait, is that Rose Tyler? My my this is a surprise."

"I don't believe we've been introduced," Rose remarked calmly.

"Wasn't necessary," the Master chuckled. "I was Prime Minister after all, easy to learn a bit about you. I'll be honest your file wasn't what I was expecting."

"Leave her out of this Master," the Doctor cut in, tensing up at the Master's attention being focused on Rose. "What happened to you?"

"Ah the companion who absorbed the Time Vortex," the Master breathed as he looked at Rose in open curiosity before his eyes flickered back to the Doctor. "You got your girl back I see Doctor while mine is the one who did this to me!" The Master shouted even as he backed away from the Doctor with a wide frightening smile. "My faithful companion Lucy… well, beware the in-laws, Doctor, for as my disciples sought to restore me she sought to destroy me." The Master moved his hand and lighting sparked around his arm and up to his fingers. His entire body flashed strangely revealing his skeleton for a moment.

Jenny gasped and the Master's eyes flew to her. He said nothing for a moment, nearly tilting his head and considering her with interest. A flash of terror erupted in both Rose and the Doctor and Rose moved forward as if she was going to attack. The Doctor caught her around the waist as if to hold her back and the Master roared with laughter.

"Ah she has spunk Doctor," the Master announced with a grin. "I can see why you liked this little pet."

"I am not a pet," Rose countered with a deep frown, just hoping that Jenny stayed behind them.

"You're all just pets to him," the Master chuckled before looking at the Doctor and pausing. "Though I'll give you credit. There have other pretty things that have travelled with him and tried to get his attention. You've certainly surpassed them on that front. A year with me, and he was absolutely mooning over you."

"You need to come with us," the Doctor announced ending the conversation. "Let me try to stabilise this."

"Oh so you can keep me in the TARDIS?" the Master countered with a frown that suddenly turned into a grin. "Hadn't you better run that past the Misses?"

"This needs to stop," the Doctor told him, taking a few steps forward and motioning for Rose and Jenny to stay back.

Rose wanted to follow, to stay close to him, but her instincts as a mother kept her in front of Jenny. As the girl tried to step around her, Rose clutched her arm and hissed for Jenny to stay still. Thankfully the Master's attention was squarely on the Doctor.

"The drums," the Master muttered with a far off look in his eyes. "The drums are closer Doctor. They are louder than ever before!"

Leaping into the air, the Master vanished down the street. They gave chase, rushing after him but as they reached the street the man dressed in the old hoodie was nowhere to be seen.

"Do we keep tracking him?" Jenny questioned, looking at her father.

The Doctor turned and looked at her with a deep frown. Rose reached over and gripped his hand.

"No, we need to get some more information first," the Doctor forced out. "It's time to visit an old friend. She needs to be warned anyway."

"Okay," Rose agreed calmly, stepping even closer to him. "Where do we need to go Doctor?"

…

The house was lovely in its own way the Doctor supposed. It was a soft red colour that helped it stand out amongst the row of homes that made up the street. There was nothing very personal on the outside and he wondered if that was the result of choice or fear. In the corner of his eye, he saw Rose observing it with a soft smile. He wondered, not for the first time if she missed the quiet domestic life she'd had with her husband. Resisting the desire to shake his head, the Doctor marched up to the door and knocked before Rose reached over and rang the buzzer.

It was a small eternity or twenty seconds before the door opened to reveal Mickey Smith. He was dressed far more casually that the Doctor had seen him for a long time. It was like looking at Ricky the Idiot again, but the serious and worried expression that took over Mickey's face quickly ruined that illusion.

"Doctor," Mickey greeted with a nod, his features stern as he took in the Doctor's serious face. Without another word, Mickey held open the door and waved the three of them inside. Rose looked back at him to see Mickey eyeing outside the house before he closed the door. "Are you three alright?"

"We're all fine," Rose assured him and Mickey relaxed only the tiniest bit.

"Good to see you," Mickey told her in a warmed voice, stepping forward to hug her and kiss her cheek. He smiled at Jenny and hugged her quickly before extending his hand to the Doctor. "But I can tell this isn't a social visit."

"Is Martha here?" the Doctor asked only to have his question answered as Martha came down the stairs.

"Doctor?" Martha questioned before she straightened up and took in the three of them quickly. "What's wrong? What's happening?"

The Doctor hesitated, his eyes locked on Martha and Rose could tell that he was dreading the words he had to say.

"The Master has been restored to life," he finally forced out.

Horror took over Martha's face and Rose grimaced in sympathy, knowing that Martha was reliving the horror of the Year That Never Was. She felt a sick flash of guilt for even coming here, for invading the life that their friends had built. Mickey was at his wife's side in an instant, carefully guiding her down the stairs before she could fall. He nodded towards the living room and the five of them went into the room where Mickey sat Martha down on the sofa.

"How?" Mickey asked for Martha as she rubbed her eyes and recovered herself. "How could this happen?"

"He had some sort of cult, even when he was just Harold Saxon to the public," the Doctor growled, slumping into one of the chairs. "They brought him back by destroying themselves, but something went wrong. I'm not sure what, something to do with his wife Lucy Saxon."

"Lucy Saxon," Martha repeated, shaking her head. "Based on what Mum told me there is no way that she'd help bring him back. I mean she shot him there at the end! She said he was abusive and I saw her there at the end, I just-"

"She may not have had any choice or she may have been the one who disrupted the ritual," the Doctor informed her softly. "The problem is that his body is burning up, he's having to pull the energy out of humans. We've been tracking him, but I can't get a lock on him."

"How can we help?" Martha asked, folding her arms and going into business mode.

"Have any spare parts?"

"No really," Mickey admitted. "But you're welcome to tear apart anything in the house."

"Just let us backup the computers quickly," Martha added quickly with a glance at her husband.

"Brilliant," the Doctor muttered as he moved over to the couch and pulled out the sonic screwdriver. "I need a better sensor array."

"What can I do to help Dad?" Jenny questioned as she followed her father.

"Get on the computer and try to find anything on unusual events and deaths," he told her. "He's got to have a plan."

"But he's dying right?" Martha questioned with a frown. "Isn't he?"

"Yes, but he won't let that stop him," the Doctor told her as he grabbed their DVD player and began opening it. "Over half our history together he was possessing stolen bodies. If he can stabilise enough to pull that off again…."

They split off. Martha and Mickey started making some calls to their contacts at Torchwood and UNIT. Rose and Jenny started using Martha's computer and the Doctor harvest bits and pieces from the television, DVD player, the landline phone and stereo in the living room before he headed into the kitchen. He almost ran into Martha, but she chuckled calmly at him.

"UNIT is on alert," she assured him with a pained little smile.

"And your family?"

"Already on the road north," Martha promised him.

"You and Mickey-"

"We'll stay and help you," Martha cut him off. "I know what he's capable of," she reminded him before looking her shoulder at Rose. "Will she be okay? Does he know about her?"

"Yeah," the Doctor admitted around a knot in his throat. "He does."

"That's not good," Martha breathed before she nodded towards the kitchen. "Well have at it," she told him before she turned to head into the living.

"Martha," the Doctor called softly, but she turned and smiled at him.

"Don't," she whispered. "There isn't anything you have to say, Doctor. There is nothing you owe me and as for the appliances… well, I am a doctor after all. Small price to save the world."

The Doctor watched her join his girls from the doorway of the kitchen. She looked better than she had been last time he'd seen at Torchwood. He wasn't sure what had brought the pair back to London from Cardiff and this wasn't the time. He was just grateful he'd been able to find them with Rose's phone. She and Mickey seemed to make a good pair.

His eyes shifted over to Jenny who was staring at the computer screen with intense concentration and nibbling at her lower lip. Rose was staying close to her and he didn't blame her at all. The temptation to take them back the TARDIS was almost overwhelming, but this was too big. And he needed them. He needed the two beings he loved most right now. The fear burning under his skin was beyond anything he remembered. Coward still apparently.

"You're worried about Jenny," Mickey confirmed in a low voice, glancing into the room where Martha, Rose and Jenny were crowding around Martha's laptop. "Look Doctor I only know what Martha told me about him… and what Rose got from well…" He didn't go any further in discussing Rose's late husband. "But if he's as obsessed about a New Gallifrey as he was last time then have Jenny stay here."

"She won't go for that," the Doctor muttered even as he looked at his daughter in the other room.

"Look put her on research," Mickey suggested quickly. "We can put her into contact with Sarah Jane so she can work with her computer. If the Master has a plan then I'm pretty sure that a daughter of yours could figure it our."

"I'm not sure he really has a plan," the Doctor told Mickey quickly, his brown eyes flashing. "He's brilliant of course, planning just in case he was defeated and killed. Letting me believe that he was just surrendering- but it went wrong and he couldn't be sure of the timing. I'm just not sure."

"Maybe, maybe not," Mickey pointed out. "But if he's even half as smart as you then he'll have some sort of plan and angle in no time." He nodded towards Jenny again and added, "So let's keep the only female Time Lord out of harm's way." Mickey licked his lips and softly added, "Just to be on the safe side.

"Alright, try to keep her here," the Doctor agree before swallowing and trying to force words past the sudden painful knot in his throat. "Do you think Rose-"

"No way to pull that off," Mickey told him quickly with a defeated sigh. "You know that Doctor. She'll go with you and fight if you try to keep her from doing so."

"Yeah," the Doctor admitted with a sigh, running a hand through his hair. "Mickey you and Martha need to be careful right now. The Master might try to track her."

"Does he usually go after the former companions?" Mickey asked with a raised eyebrow.

"No, not usually. Last night even with the powers of the Prime Minister he only went after the family of my current companion, he left Sarah Jane and the others alone. But Martha was critical to stopping him last time. In the old days I wouldn't be so worried, but now… his mind is gone. He's always been a bit mad, but whatever control he used to have is gone."

"Look, Doctor, if Martha feels the need we'll leave London and get off the grid," Mickey assured him with a nod. "And we'll keep an eye on Jenny, you focus on the Master and well… keep Rose safe if you can. If we run we'll take Jenny and you can track us down later."

"Yes," the Doctor agreed tightly as he turned to Mickey and nodded. "Thank you."

"Of course," Mickey replied calmly as he met the Doctor's eyes calmly and evenly. "Do you have what you need?"

"No," the Doctor replied, shaking his head and pulling on his glasses. "Sorry about the microwave."

An hour later and half of Mickey's computer later the Doctor was holding a small cobbled together device with a small whirling piece of metal on the top. Martha was looking at it with fondness, probably thinking about the gadgets he'd constructed back in 1969. Jenny was taking it in curiously with a small smile of understanding blooming on her face that made a flash of pride rush through the Doctor's chest.

"Alright I've got what I need," the Doctor announced, pulling on his long coat. "Jenny stay here and keep monitoring events with Martha and Mickey."

"No, I should go with you," Jenny countered with an almost horrified look.

"I want you to stay here and help them," the Doctor told her firmly.

"But Dad," Jenny whined, taking a step towards her father until he caught her face in his hands looking down at her gently while his fingers found the right spot on her temple.

"Jenny," he whispered. "Please, I know this isn't what you want, but stay here and see if you can't figure out a pattern. Track the recent news, see if anything stands out."

"I'm not a baby," Jenny reminded him. "And I'm not afraid of the Master. You said we'd do this together."

"We are," the Doctor promised, almost grimacing at the dubious look his daughter gave her. "But Jenny I need to keep trying to find him so I need someone looking to see if there is anything wrong happening."

"Martha and Mickey can do that."

"They aren't Time Lords," the Doctor pointed out. "He's our responsibility."

Jenny frowned at the words and the Doctor felt a flash of guilt using that against her, manipulating her with her desire to be a Time Lady and make him proud. Reaching out, he kissed her forehead and held her a moment. Just in case he wasn't going to in this body again.

"I trust you with this," he added gently. "You're clever and don't take anything for granted. You can do this."

"Okay," Jenny agreed and it was all the Doctor could do not to sigh in relief. "But under protest."

"That's fair," the Doctor agreed with a fond chuckle, kissing her forehead again. "And if Mickey and Martha tell you to do something then do it."

That statement earned a surprised look from Martha and Mickey, but they both nodded in a silent promise to look after her. The Doctor nodded in return, hoping that they both knew how grateful he was. He turned towards the door and found Rose waiting calmly with a soft sympathetic look on her face.

"I won't stay behind," Rose announced with a very stern expression on her face.

"I know," the Doctor admitted in defeat. "But when we find him stay back."

"Alright," Rose agreed with a sigh, meaning the words despite her hesitation.

A look of utter relief blossomed on his face and Rose couldn't help but wonder if it was going to be trying to save her and Jenny that would cost him his life. Shaking her head, Rose leaned up and kissed him in the living room of Marth and Mickey's home for a long moment.

"Alright then Doctor," Rose whispered as she stepped back from him. "Lead on then Shake."

"Allons-y Shiver," the Doctor remarked as he took her hand and they stepped out of the Smith's house.


	5. The Sound of Drums

Wolf Pact

Chapter Five: The Sound of Drums

by Lumendea

Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who.

…..

Keeping hold of the Doctor's hand, Rose tried not to think too much about some of the things the Master might be doing on Earth. The positives were that he didn't have a TARDIS, didn't have a position of authority and was dying. The negatives were that he was clever as the Doctor, lacked a moral compass, and was dying. Animals and aliens were dangerous when cornered and someone who had nothing to lose was even worse.

John had told her a lot about the Master over the years of their marriage. He'd recounted them growing up on Gallifrey and attending school together. Shared with her the bond they'd always had, even when he turned up on Earth centuries later. Rose had her own suspicions as to why the Master tormented the Doctor so much during that period. After all, the Master had a working TARDIS for much of that time and the Doctor didn't, but for some reason chose to hang around Earth and cause trouble. Sometimes she'd wondered if the Master was just trying to keep his friend entertained in his own dark fashion. They'd become more straightforward enemies in the following years with the Master even killing his fourth incarnation directly.

The Doctor gave a small aborted cheer as he picked up the Master again and they started to run. Rose tugged on his arm and they stopped at a cash point long enough to grab a few hundred and hail a cab. In the corner of her eye, she could see the tension rising in the Doctor's body. He didn't look towards her, but Rose didn't take it personally. This was more familiar than he knew. Three years of travelling with him in the TARDIS originally and fifty-five years of marriage to a human incarnation of him while working at Torchwood and she was well acquainted with his moods when worried.

At least Jenny was with Mickey. Her old friend might not fully understand how their relationship had developed since they saw them in Cardiff, but she knew he'd keep her safe. Jenny even looked more like her than any of her own biological children. Donna like her namesake and 'aunt' had slightly ginger hair that they'd blamed on Rose's own father and some of the genetics John carried from Donna. Jack and Adric had both had their father's wild brown hair. She'd teased John several times that she hadn't seemed to pass on any DNA herself.

Licking her lips, Rose breathed a little easier, realising that she'd just thought about her children without any twitches of pain. Perhaps it was the near gratitude for knowing they were in another universe far from the Master where their Gallfreyean genes would gradually be dispersed amongst human descendants and not even register anymore. Perhaps enough time had passed now. She wasn't sure, but Rose blinked and tried to focus her attention ahead of the cab as the Doctor directed the driver.

Around them, the city was bright and festive with the signs of Christmas. More people had stayed this year by the look of things, either giving up the idea of running or making peace with the notion it would all work out. Rose licked her lips as she watched a group of carolers moving down the street. She hoped that they were right and they could stop this, but the Master had no plan. At least none that she could imagine. His rebirth had gone wrong, he was alone, had no TARDIS, no technology and no way off Earth. What could he possibly be planning?

The Doctor's grip on her hand suddenly tightened and Rose returned the squeeze, eager to reassure him that she was there. She wasn't going to leave him, she mentally promised herself. If he was right and this was the end of this body she wasn't going to leave even if he did manage to have two heads this time. A guilty little part of her wondered if this might be easiest. They'd barely restarted a romantic relationship and maybe a new face, not one he shared with her late husband, would be easier.

Swallowing, Rose guiltily pushed down a sudden flare of hope for his next body. He wouldn't look like her late husband anymore, wouldn't sound like him and wouldn't talk like him. They could start over, but Rose pushed the thoughts aside. Guilt surged through her, a feeling of being unfaithful. It was similar to those moments when she realised that she loved this new Doctor and had felt guilty for his previous body.

Finally, they stopped and the Doctor thrust a large stack of notes at the driver. As they climbed out, Rose heard the man cheerfully thank them and wish them a Happy Christmas before he sped away. The Doctor took her hand again and they started walking toward a large row of warehouses looming past a chain link fence. Above their heads, the sun was setting and stars were peeking out over the city. It might have been beautiful in other circumstances.

Rose's eyes swept around for any sign of an ambush. She wasn't as comfortable with the calm almost confident way that the Doctor was moving forward. He seemed certain that the Master wasn't going to kill him, but perhaps he'd embraced the prophecy so much that until someone knocked four times he assumed he was safe. That idea didn't inspire confidence, but Rose had noticed in the last few months that while the Doctor was happier there was a shadow hanging over him. Something had happened while he was alone, something she wasn't sure he'd ever tell her about. Part of her wasn't sure she wanted to know.

…

Jenny could hear them talking in the kitchen from her place in front of the laptop. The itch to run was creeping up her spine as Martha confessed her worry to Mickey for the Doctor's safety against the Master. Perking up, Jenny leaned a little towards the kitchen, hoping that Martha might reveal more of her history with the Master, but Mickey just reassured her that they'd stay together.

"Well Mum and Dad have already headed to Scotland," Martha said. She sounded frightened and exhausted to Jenny.

"He doesn't have a plan," Mickey assured Martha. "There isn't a year of planning behind this."

"No, but he was a contingency in place to come back from the dead," Martha pointed out thickly. "He could have technology stashed somewhere or-"

"There's a lot of could be, babe," Mickey pointed out. "Let's stick with what we know."

"That isn't much," Martha grumbled.

"UNIT and Torchwood know he's back. They're on alert and Rose and the Doctor are out looking for him," Mickey told her in a softer voice that Jenny could barely hear. "It'll work out."

Biting at her lips, Jenny tried to focus on the laptop and digging for more information. The urge to run was creeping over her. Something was coming. She didn't know what or how she knew that, but there was a certainty in her bones that Jenny didn't dare argue with.

….

They'd found him again only for the Master to run. The mad Time Lord thankfully took no note of Jenny's absence and instead had fallen back on his obsession of the Doctor. Rose never thought she'd be grateful for that, but as they ran through the construction site after his vanishing figure she was. Then the Master stopped, but only for a moment as the Doctor begged him once more to let them help. She knew he wouldn't and the Master gave him such a look for vanishing once more.

Rose froze as a group of humans came rushing up to them as the Doctor looked over a pile of stacked beams. Her eyes were drawn to Wilfred "Wilf" Mott in shock. The last time she'd seen the man had been so so long ago when he'd wished her luck before she teleported to the TARDIS. His eyes widened as he looked at her and a great grin took over his face even before he looked at the Doctor. The surprise on the Doctor's face was clear as the small group of senior citizens surrounded them eagerly.

After a rather strange meeting with a bunch of older folks who had apparently managed the feat of tracking down the Doctor, much to his shock and discomfort Wilf took them to a small café. With every passing moment, Rose could see the Doctor withdrawing more and more into himself. He wasn't even bothering to drink his tea. As they sat across from Wilf, she grabbed his left hand and squeezed it. The tension in his shoulders eased for only a moment.

"It's good to see you, sweetheart," Wilf told her affectionately. "Been looking after this one?"

"As much as he lets me," Rose answered, not wanting to go into the reality of just how long it had been for her.

"Oh, we had some good times, didn't we though?" Wilf sighed as he looked at the Doctor. "I mean, all those ATMOS things, and planets in the sky, and me with that paint gun. I keep seeing things, Doctor. This face at night."

"What?" Rose gasped in surprise and worry. "How could you-"

"Who are you?" the Doctor asked darkly."

"I'm Wilfred Mott," Wilf answered, straightening up in his chair.

"No. People have waited hundreds of years to find me and then you manage it in a few hours."

"Well, I'm just lucky I suppose," he answered with a slight quiver in his voice.

"No, we keep on meeting, Wilf," the Doctor insisted. "Over and over again like something's still connecting us."

"What's so important about me?"

"Exactly. Why you?" the Doctor asked before going silent. His grip on her hand loosened, but Rose didn't let it go. "I'm going to die."

"Well, so am I, one day," Wilf chuckled

"Don't you dare," the Doctor scolded.

"All right, I'll try not to," Wilf agreed with a laugh, not taking his eyes off the Doctor.

"But I was told. He will knock four times. That was the prophecy. Knock four times, and then…"

"Yeah, but I thought, when I saw you before, you said your people could change, like, your whole body."

"I can still die. If I'm killed before regeneration, then I'm dead," the Doctor informed him before leaning forward. "Even then, even if I change, it feels like dying. Everything I am dies."

"No it doesn't," Rose interrupted, tightening her grip on his hand and leaning over to rest her head on his shoulder. "Not everything. You're still there. The Doctor is still there."

"Rose-"

"You'll still have me, and Jenny and the TARDIS," Rose reminded him, earning a smile from Wilf before the man looked out the window.

She and the Doctor both turned to see Donna standing by a blue car in a green long coat, her long ginger hair fluttering in the wind. The Doctor tensed and Rose heard him make a sharp intact of breath. One of the best friends he'd ever had was only a few feet away and he couldn't even say hello.

"I'm sorry, but I had to," Wilf apologised quickly. "Look, can't you make her better?"

"Stop it," the Doctor hissed.

"No, but you're so clever. Can't you bring her memory back?" Wilf all but begged, gesturing towards Donna. "Look, just go to her now. Go on, just run across the street. Go up and say hello."

"If she ever remembers me, her mind will burn, and she will die," the Doctor insisted urgently, almost desperately.

"Don't you touch this car," Donna said sharply to the nearby traffic warden, her voice carrying inside.

"She's not changed," the Doctor observed with a small smile.

"Oh, there he is."

Rose saw a sweet looking dark skilled man carrying a load of shopping bags hurry up to Donna. The pair exchanged some words as they opened up the car and began putting their purchases away. Something about him reminded her a bit of Mickey and Rose smiled.

"Shaun Temple. They're engaged. Getting married in the spring.

"Another wedding," the Doctor breathed.

"Yeah."

"Hopefully it'll go a bit smoother than the last," Rose offered with a smile.

"Hold on, she's not going to be called Noble-Temple? That sounds like a tourist spot," the Doctor observed with a slight smirk though Rose recognised him trying to use humour to mask the pain of seeing her again.

"No, it's Temple-Noble."

"Right. Is she happy?" the Doctor questioned. "Is he nice?"

"Yeah, he's sweet enough," Wilf agreed. "He's a bit of a dreamer. Mind you, he's on minimum wage, she's earning tuppence, so all they can afford is a tiny little flat. And then sometimes I see this look on her face like she's so sad, but she can't remember why."

"She's got him," Rose pointed out. "That's a lot more than some."

"She's making do," Wilf sighed.

"Aren't we all?"

"Well, I see you and Rose are still together," Wilf pointed out with a smile. "That's something."

Rose squeezed the Doctor's hand and offered Wilf a small smile. "We've got a daughter too," the Doctor said slowly, his body relaxing a little. "Jenny. She's with… some old friends right now to keep her safe. I've got her and Rose. "

"Not so bad then," Wilf remarked with a sad note.

"Donna will be okay," Rose promised. "She's got people who love her, can't really ask for more than that."

The Doctor sighed and pulled on her hand. Nodding her understanding, Rose stood up and followed him out of the café. As he pulled on his coat, he released her hand for a moment before grabbing it again quickly. She shifted and walked closely beside him, taking a bit of pride in the way his body relaxed just a little bit more. They'd be okay, she knew that, once he regenerated, but this foreknowledge was impossibly cruel. Maybe if he'd been unhappy it would be easier to know it was coming, but then again maybe not.

…

Darkness had fallen when they found the Master again. Rose had long since lost track of where they were. The Doctor was following the Master through their telepathy and without Archangel to shield him the game of cat and mouse continued. As they moved slowly towards the Master Rose was uncertain who was the cat and who was the mouse.

"I had estates," the Master announced to the Doctor, sounding wistful and sad. "Do you remember my father's land back home? Pastures of red grass, stretching far across the slopes of Mount Perdition. We used to run across those fields all day, calling up at the sky." The Master shook his head and chuckled bitterly. "Look at us now."

"All that eloquence," the Doctor remarked in a blend of sadness and mocking. "But how many people have you killed?"

"I am so hungry," the Master groaned. He looked past the Doctor and fixed his eyes on Rose.

"Your resurrection went wrong. That energy. Your body's ripped open. Now you're killing yourself."

"Let us help you," Rose pleaded as his skin vanished for a moment and his whole body shuddered.

The Master fell to the ground with an exhausted huff. "That human Christmas out there," the Master breathed. "They eat so much. All that roasting meat, cakes and red wine. Hot, fat, blood, food. Pots, plates of meat, and flesh, and grease, and juice, and baking, burnt, sticky hot skin. Hot. It's so hot."

"Stop it," the Doctor ordered as he took a step towards him.

"Sliced. Sliced. Sliced."

"Stop it."

"It's mine. It's mine. It's mine to eat and eat and eat."

Rose took an instinctive step back as the Master's wide crazy eyes fixed on her once again. The Doctor shifted in front of her protectively. Part of her wanted to protest, but the gleam in the Master's eyes terrified her.

"Stop it. What if I ask you for help? There's more at work tonight than you and me."

"Oh yeah?"

"I've been told something is returning."

Rose held back a gasp and forced herself to focus on the Master who gestured to himself. "And here I am."

"No, something more."

"But it hurts." The Master shuddered and glared at the Doctor.

"I was told the end of time," the Doctor told him in a too calm voice, staying squarely between him and Rose.

"It hurts. Doctor, the noise." The Master was staring at him with begging eyes now. Rose couldn't help but feel a painful rush of sympathy. "The noise in my head, Doctor. One, two, three, four. One, two, three, four. Stronger than ever before. Can't you hear it?"

"I'm sorry."

"Listen, listen, listen, listen." The Master was begging now as waved his hand around wildly. "Every minute, every second, every beat of my hearts, there it is, calling to me. Please listen."

The Doctor stepped towards the Master and slowly knelt down next to him with a hand extended. Rose shivered against the December chill as a rush of vertigo hit her. She stumbled on her feet for a moment and for a split second she heard four beats in her head. It was a steady rhythm that was gone the next moment. Shaking her head, Rose turned towards the Doctor and Master. The Doctor removed his hand from the temple of the Master and she blinked in confusion, wondering what she had missed.

"I heard it. But there's no noise. There never has been," the Doctor told him urgently as the Master began to stand. "It's just your insanity. What is it? What's inside your head?"

The Master was looking up into the sky before his eyes shifted over Rose. She began to move forward, her heart pounding as the Master began to giggle.

"It's real. It's real." The Master stepped back from the Doctor, running his hands over his bright blonde hair. Then he gasped for air and shouted, "It's real!" Then he threw his hands down and bolts of lightning blasted forth, propelling him into the air.

Rose and the Doctor started running after him immediately. The faint sound of a helicopter reached Rose's ears as the Master began to shout. Looking up she saw a light coming towards them. Years of instinct despite having been retired kicked in and Rose grabbed the Doctor's hand. She pulled him back as a searchlight fixed on the Master and men in black descended on ropes.

"Don't," Rose hissed as the Doctor began to move towards them. "Too many of them. They're armed."

The Doctor made a noise of protest but stopped struggling as Rose pulled him into the shadows. The Master laughed right until they injected him with something. They were pulled into the helicopter and vanished towards London.


	6. Wilf and the Gate

Wolf Pact

Chapter Six: Wilf and the Gate

by Lumendea

Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who.

AN: Again, I'm sorry this story is taking so long. It just hasn't been a priority given that I've got Guardians and original projects to work on. It is, however, not abandoned. It will be finished and I finally know exactly how I want to end it.

…..

The Doctor didn't say anything about Rose stopping him from following. They rushed back to the TARDIS as he simmered in a quiet, fearful rage. Rose took out her mobile and quickly texted Jenny just to check in. Thankfully their girl was still alright, if bored and worried. Even the hum of the TARDIS failed to settle Rose as they made it back in. All her mind could do was wonder just who had attacked. It hadn't been UNIT and there was no Torchwood left in this London. It wasn't Jack's Torchwood either, so who were these mysterious players.

She hated it, all of it. Thanks to the year that never was no one should have known the truth about the Master. He'd been killed too quickly for that and yet these people had found him easily enough and grabbed him. She looked back at the Doctor with worry. He didn't seem to be injured, but the prophecy was nagging at them both. Rose tried not to grumble, she'd gotten out of the habit, but it was tempting now.

She hated not knowing what they were dealing with and the Doctor was clearly agitated as he set the controls. There was someone else, someone else who had already discovered that Harold Saxon was back. The issue was what did they want him for?

Grabbing the console, Rose kept herself upright as they landed. She looked over at the Doctor in confusion as he all but stormed out of the TARDIS, leaving a storm trailing in his wake. Breathing out slowly, Rose took a moment to recover before following him out. She stopped short as she took in the house. It took a moment, but she recognised it and she definitely knew the old man coming up to them.

"I lost him," the Doctor said. "Someone took him. He's still on Earth, I can smell him, but he's too far away."

"Listen, you can't park there," Wilf said urgently. He looked fearfully over his shoulder towards the house. "What if Donna sees it?"

"Doctor?" Rose asked, confused herself as to why they were here. "We should check in with the Smiths and Jenny. Maybe they've found something."

"Jenny would have called," the Doctor said. He stepped closer to Wilf. "You're the only one, Wilf. The only connection I can think of. You're involved, if I could work out how. Tell me, have you seen anything? I don't know. Anything strange, anything odd?"

Rose bit her lip as Wilf stared at the Doctor. She could already tell that he was thinking of something. "Well, there was a…."

"What? What is it?" The Doctor's tone shifted once more. "Tell me."

"Well, it was. No, it's nothing."

"Think-a think-a think. Maybe something out of the blue. Something connected to your life. Something."

Rose stayed silent and watched. Wilf seemed nervous, twitchy even and she couldn't help but notice his hand shifting at his side like he was tempted to reach for something. The Doctor wasn't much better, there was a near frantic and fearful energy in him. It was more than just his worry about regenerating; that they could handle. Crossing her arms over her chest, Rose eyed the house and pressed her lips together. The Doctor and Wilf were talking about Donna and a book now, but she just kept an eye out for Donna to appear at the window. The knowledge of what had happened to Donna was bitter, but worse was the small part of her that was just so grateful that John had been alright. He'd been stable (well as stable as the Doctor ever was) and been safe.

Something in the air felt wrong. Rose sniffed at it. She couldn't smell anything that didn't fit in early 21st century London and even the memories of what the other London smelled like didn't throw that off. Holding back a shiver, Rose scanned the road, but no one was paying them any mind. Yet the feeling of unease remained. Her fingers slipped into her pocket and she almost called Mickey and Martha to check on Jenny. They'd lost the Master and didn't know how to find them. They should have put a biodamper on Jenny, her mind suddenly said and Rose's heart almost beat out of her chest at the terrifying idea of someone finding Jenny.

"Maybe? It may be touching Donna's subconscious. Oh, she's still fighting for us, even now. The Doctor Donna," the Doctor said, finally pulling Rose's attention back to them. She frowned, he was holding a book for some reason.

Then Sylvia came outside, with a frantic look on her face. Rose vaguely remembered her glimpses of Sylvia when she'd been dealing with Donna's alternate reality. The woman had never impressed her, but the look of terror and worry on her face did a lot to remove Rose's old worries.

"Get out of here," Sylvia said to the Doctor.

Rose felt a jolt of anger on the Doctor's behalf. He just nodded to Sylvia and wished her a merry Christmas. Frustration and worry flickered over Sylvia's face and Rose felt herself feeling a bit of sympathy for the woman.

"Merry Christmas. But she can't see you. What if she remembers?" She looked towards Rose, sending her a pleading look.

"We'll go," Rose said quickly to reassure the woman.

"Mum, where are those tweezers?" Donna's voice called from the house. Rose saw the Doctor tense at the sound of their lost friend.

"Go," Sylvia said with steel in her voice.

"I'm going," the Doctor said. He grabbed her hand and they turned to walk towards the gate. The Doctor's grip was tighter than usual and Rose knew that the sound of Donna's voice had greatly affected him.

"Yeah, me too," Wilf added.

Rose glanced over her shoulder as they headed across the street to the waiting TARDIS. Sure enough, Wilf was following them. The Doctor didn't really seem to notice until they were at the TARDIS. Shaking her head, Rose started to unlock the TARDIS.

"You can't come with us," the Doctor said.

"You're not leaving me with her!"

Rose pushed open the doors and held back a laugh as Sylvia shouted for her father one more time. She turned around to see the Doctor nod. But then her eyes were drawn to a small sign tacked up on the far garden fence right next to the Noble house. The large block print that probably should have said 'beware of dog' instead said 'bad wolf.'

"Fair enough."

Sylvia's shouts were muffled as the doors closed and the Doctor rushed up to the TARDIS controls. Rose lingered by Wilf near the door with a slight smile as she watched him take in the TARDIS. The sense of wrongness was faded in here, but Rose could still feel it pressing against her skin. She couldn't properly recall ever feeling anything like it before, but the sense of dread was familiar. All too familiar and the mark of Bad Wolf seemed burned in her eyes.

Rose turned her attention to the Doctor as he explained to Wilf that he couldn't cross his own timeline. Despite the tension radiating off the Time Lord, he was being very patient with Wilf. Rose looked at Donna's grandfather. She wasn't sure how she felt about having the old man here. He was quick and sweet, but something about him being here made her worry even more.

Strangely enough, the Doctor didn't change the coordinates immediately. Instead, he stayed in front of the screen with his fingertips moving through a series of equations. The look of concentration on his face kept Rose silent even as she wondered what he was doing. Then the Doctor glanced her way and Rose got a very bad feeling. The Storm was clear in his eyes and she felt a flicker of regret for adding to his fears with her presence, but she hated to think how he'd be coping without her.

"That takes care of that," the Doctor said. "Allonsy!" He dashed around the controls, throwing levers and pressing buttons. "Hold on!"

The TARDIS shifted with a jolt and Rose grabbed onto the railing and reached out to steady Wilf as the man looked around in surprise. The Doctor finished the materialisation and looked at her. Rose gave him a small nod and they headed for the doorway. They stepped out into the TARDIS and Rose braced herself. There was no rush of men in black, no helicopter and no guns shoved in their face. That was something at least. She shifted closer to the Doctor as Wilf followed her out.

"We've moved," Wilf gasped. "We've really moved!" His excitement almost made Rose smile.

"You should stay here," the Doctor said. He was talking to Wilf, but his eyes jumped up to her.

"Not bloody likely," Wilf retorted.

Behind him, Rose shook her head and held the Doctor's eyes. She could see his building frustration, but to his credit, he didn't try anything this time. Maybe he really could learn.

"And don't swear," the Doctor ordered. He was almost grumbling now but pulled out his key. "Hold on." To Rose's surprise, he pointed it at the TARDIS which suddenly vanished.

"Doctor?" Rose asked. "What did you do?" She was surprised, Rose had thought she was past the having to ask constant questions phase.

"Just a second out of sync," he explained to them both. "Don't want the Master finding the Tardis. That's the last thing we need."

Rose shivered and nodded her understanding. Wilf nodded as well, but Rose knew that he wouldn't understand the full scale of what the Master could do with a TARDIS. John's stories about the year that never was replayed through her mind and all Rose wanted to do was grab the Doctor and run.

The Doctor turned to her and shifted closer, taking her hand. "She recognises your biodata, Rose. If you need to get in then hold up your key."

"Okay," Rose said.

"And I've programmed her to go to Mickey and Martha's," the Doctor said. "If this goes badly then you need to get Jenny."

"I can't leave you," Rose protested.

"I'm not asking you too," the Doctor assured her. He almost smiled. "I know better than that. But if they capture me then you need to get to Jenny before the Master finds her. Together I'm sure you two can come up with something."

"What about Wilf?" Rose asked.

"Don't worry about me, sweetheart," Wilf said. He gave her a smile and puffed up a bit. "Now, let's find out what's going on."

Rose almost smiled. Wilf might not be used to this, but he was adjusting very quickly. Just in case, Rose looked around and noted the appearance of the area carefully. As much as she didn't want to leave the Doctor behind, years of tactical training in Torchwood reminded her of the value of a backup plan.

They followed the sides of the red brick building. It didn't look the kind of place where an evil alien like the Master belonged, but appearances were deceiving. The place was massive and Rose scanned the various buildings. As they stepped out into a passageway, the Doctor grabbed her and shoved her back. Rose had just managed to catch sight of a trio of guards.

"There's a lot of guards here," Rose said. "Too many for just a house."

"That book said he's a billionaire," Wilf explained. "He's got his own private army."

"Yeah but even my dad never had security like this," Rose said thoughtfully. "And he was the Head of Torchwood on top of being rich." Wilf nodded, but Rose knew that he wouldn't have the right context.

"Down here," the Doctor called. He gestured to a small door in the nearby archway and quickly opened it with the sonic screwdriver. "Come on."

Rose pushed Wilf forward and the old man rushed to the small door. Then she glanced around for more guards before she followed. Closing the door behind her, Rose looked around nervously. They were a dark tunnel with lamps along the walls every few feet. It was clean despite the appearance that it led nowhere. The Doctor grabbed her hand and tugged hr forward.

They didn't have to go far before they could hear a voice. The Doctor stopped and glanced into a small room. A monitor showed a strange metal archway. There was a woman in the room who was speaking to someone through a comm system. Rose had no idea what she was looking at, but it didn't belong on Earth, not in this time period. Maybe it was the memory of Van Statten, but she always worried about alien tech in the hands of billionaires.

"And the multiple overshots have triplicated," the woman said. She was smiling.

"Nice Gate," the Doctor said in place of a greeting.

"Hello," Wilf said. "Sorry."

"Don't try calling security, or I'll tell them you're wearing a Shimmer. Because I reckon anyone wearing a Shimmer doesn't want the Shimmer to be noticed, or they wouldn't need a Shimmer in the first place."

"I'm sorry? What's a Shimmer?"

"A disguise," Rose said.

The Doctor pointed his sonic screwdriver at her and the woman's appearance changed. Her clothing was still the same with the white lab coat still in place, but her skin had turned green and her hair was gone with green spikes in its place.

"Shimmer," the Doctor said.

"Oh, my Lord," Wilf gasped, pointing at the woman. "She's a cactus."

The woman grimaced but didn't move to stop the Doctor as he rushed for the nearest set of controls. Rose could hear him muttering to himself as he examined the readouts of what was happening above them. The tension in his body was extreme and Rose eyed the alien woman carefully. Thankfully, she just nodded at Rose and didn't move to stop the Doctor.

Another of the green things showed up and the Doctor kept running around between machines. The Vinvocci were very calm about the whole matter and trying to calm the Doctor. Wilf asked why it was so big and Rose glanced at the panel upon panels.

"It doesn't just mend one person at a time," the female Addams said.

"That would be ridiculous," the male Rossiter agreed.

"It mends whole planets," Addams explained with a slight smile.

Worry took over the Doctor's face. "It does what?" he asked.

"It transmits the medical template across the entire population," Addams said.

Then his eyes widened in horror. The Doctor rushed for the door and Rose moved to follow. He suddenly stopped and whirled back to look at her. "TARDIS," he said. "Jenny, go now!"

"But-"

"Go now!" The Doctor shouted.

Something in his voice, the terror and certainty made her turn and run. She distantly heard Wilf's cry of confusion. There were tears running down her cheeks. Rose was leaving him. This was wrong and yet maternal instinct demanded it. She was leaving him to face whatever the Master had done. Darting out the door, Rose found a pair of guards shaking their heads with looks of confusion.

She kept running. Pulling out her key, Rose retraced their route to the TARDIS and held out the key. The TARDIS shimmered into view. Rose unlocked it and dashed inside the TARDIS. Around her, the time ship hummed in greeting and warning. Gasping, Rose released a sob as she reached for the controls to take her to the Smith-Jones home. She had left the Doctor. But she would come back for him. She always did.


End file.
